


And I Will Try to Fix You

by Leriana



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bending (Avatar), Bullying, Character Death, F/F, Forgiveness, Physical Disability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 13:03:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7316203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leriana/pseuds/Leriana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s been nine months since Korra’s graced Republic High School’s hallways.</p>
<p>Nine months of whispered questions, dramatic rumors, and a tight-lipped Kuvira. </p>
<p>And really, Asami shouldn’t care, but she finds herself wondering the same thing as everybody else: where is Korra?</p>
<p>Or: Asami has never been one to turn her back on someone in need. But when that someone in need is her former bully, things become a bit more challenging</p>
            </blockquote>





	And I Will Try to Fix You

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back at it again with the korrasami. Let me know what you think. :)

**Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet.** **Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. — Helen Keller**

* * *

The dismissal bell chimes loudly through Republic Elementary, signaling the end of a grueling school day and the beginning of winter break. Kids flock out of the doors, bundled up in big coats, and rush to the car ramp like ants migrating to sugar.

“Are you going to Korra’s birthday party?” 8 year old Opal asks as they sit down, her green eyes big and her breath coming out in a frosty wisp. An iridescent blue sky is spread out above them as they wait for Asami’s mom to pick them up.

Asami pushes the bridge of her glasses up. “Uh…” She tilts her head, searching her mind for any memory of an invitation. She comes up empty and shakes her head. “No. I wasn’t invited.”

Opal frowns. “What do you mean you weren’t invited?” she whispers dramatically, like that’s the craziest thing she’s ever heard. Asami rolls her eyes. “The whole class was invited.”

Asami’s heart drops and twists. “Well, I wasn’t.”

Opal hums and taps her chin. “She probably forgot to give you an invitation. Come on.” She stands up and drags a reluctant Asami along with her.

“Where are we going?” Asami shakily asks.

“To talk to Korra.”

“No! Opal, we can’t just—“

“Nothing’s wrong with asking, Asami,” Opal assures. “I’m sure Korra didn’t leave you out on purpose.”

Asami doubts it, but Opal’s determined and there’s no way to deter a determined Opal. She walks them over to where Korra’s sitting with her friends, Kuvira and Bolin. Even at the young age of 8, sitting cross-legged with her shoulders back and her posture straight, Korra Waters is the epitome of strength. She can bend all four elements and everyday she reminds her fellow classmates of her extraordinary skills.

“Hey Korra,” Opal greets.

Korra stops talking and squints up at Opal. “Hey.”

“Asami’s invited to your birthday party, right?”

Korra’s shockingly bright blue eyes fly to Asami, and the raven haired girl nearly shrinks back in fear, but Korra doesn’t say anything, she merely studies Asami for several seconds before answering, “No. She’s not.”

Opal gapes and Asami wraps her arms protectively over her stomach because somehow hearing the confirmation out-loud stings far worse than assuming she hadn’t been invited.

“And why not?”

“No non-benders allowed.” Korra shrugs. “Sorry.”

“Are you serious?” Opal presses, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Yeah,” Korra says in a clipped tone, and that tightness grows inside of Asami’s chest. She feels her eyes prickle with tears but she quickly blinks them away because she refuses to cry in Korra’s presence.

Opal crosses her arms. “If Asami can’t come then I’m not coming.”

Korra watches Opal for a few tense seconds. “Okay,” she says easily and returns to her conversation with Kuvira and Bolin like the exchange never happened.

Opal wraps an arm around Asami’s shoulders and guides them away. “She’s a jerk. We’ll have a party of our own and it’ll be a million times better than hers.”

Asami smiles but that tightness in her chest stays for the rest of the day.

* * *

A gaggle of sixth graders sit on rusty old bleachers under the bright raging August sun. Asami sits amongst them and squirms in her spot, the bleacher seat acting as a hot cast iron against her thighs.

“Alright, alright! Listen up you rascals or I’m taking you all back to the gym!” Coach Lin claps and everyone silences. “Okay, we’re playing kickball today. Korra, Kuvira, get down here, you’re captains.”

Korra fist pumps the air and smoothly floats down to the ground like the airbender she is. Kuvira follows, crossing her arms as she faces the class, a smirk curving her lips.

“Korra, you pick first,” Coach Lin instructs.

Asami hates kickball, or really just any team sport in general. She’s usually the last picked because no one wants a ‘nonnie’—non-bender—on their team. 

One by one, Korra and Kuvira call student’s names, and the bleachers slowly filter out until, of course, Asami is the last one sitting there.

“Do I _have_ to pick Asami?” Korra whines. “She’s just gonna slow me down, coach! She can’t bend!”

“No, you don’t have to pick Asami,” Coach Lin says and Korra brightens. “You can just sit out during the game.”

Korra groans, lolls her head, and the class laughs at her antics.

“I’ll just sit out then,” she says stubbornly and plops down on the bleacher seat. “Rather sit out than have a skinny lil’ nonnie on my team.”

“Enough!” Coach Lin roars, her eyes alight with anger. “Asami, get down here, you’re the new captain. Korra.” She crooks her finger, eyes narrowing dangerously. “ _Come with me_.”

Asami slowly clomps down the bleachers, her stinging eyes trained on the ground. She swallows hard and tries to think about her mother reading Winnie the Pooh and reciting in a soft, soothing voice: _“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”_

The thought comforts her and, for a brief minute, she actually believes those words.

* * *

“What’s wrong sweetie?” Asami’s mother asks softly from her doorway.

Asami doesn’t know if she’s easy to read, or if her mother’s just good at reading her. Probably the latter. Either way, she sniffles and mumbles, “Nothing,” before burrowing her head back into her pillows.

“Sure doesn’t look like nothing.”

Her mother steps quietly into her room and lays down next to her. She wraps a strong arm around her and Asami melts into the hold, new tears springing down her cheeks. She curses herself for being so weak. Her mother embraces her fully, runs circles on her back, and she turns, burrows her face into her mother’s chest, and sobs.

“Shh,” her mother whispers, “it’s gonna be okay, sweetie. Shhh.”

Minutes pass and gradually Asami’s breathing slows and her sobs quiet as her mom hums a song in her ear.

“What-what’s wrong with me mommy?” she asks, her words coming out broken.

“Nothing’s wrong with you, sweetie.”

“I can’t bend and I’m too skinny and nobody likes me!” Asami exclaims, and normally she’s not allowed to yell but her mother lets it slide this time.

“You know what, sweetie.” Her mother pulls back and looks her right in the eyes. “Your father and I used to get picked on when we we’re growing up.”

Asami’s mouth falls open because she can’t imagine her tall, beautiful, hard-working parents ever getting bullied. “You did?”

Her mom nods. “We did, but you know what I learned?”

“What?” Asami asks eagerly, hanging onto her mother’s every word.

“I learned that bending doesn’t make you special.” She taps Asami’s nose, causing her daughter to chuckle. “Neither does physical beauty. Your character, who you are on the inside, is what makes you special. Want to know why?”

Asami sniffles and her mother wipes her runny nose. “Why?”

“Because blessings come and go. People can lose their physical beauty just like they can lose their bending, but throughout it all they’ll survive if they’re strong on the inside. And you, my beautiful daughter, are a very strong and loved person.”

“You think I’m strong?” Asami asks, her eyes red-rimmed and earnest.

Her mother smiles and its soft and sweet and makes Asami feel invincible. “I _know_ you’re strong.”

The words embed themselves into her mind and heart and warm her aching soul.

So what if she can’t bend. She has inner beauty and that’s all she needs.

* * *

Its lunchtime and Asami isn’t paying attention to where she’s going as she wanders down Republic Middle School’s Pre-IB hallways. Her eyes are glued to the new book her dad got her—a whopping 500 pages of nothing but automobiles—and she can’t wait to share it with Opal.

She bumps into something and she lands on her butt, her glasses flying off her face and her lunchbox skittering across the tiled floors.

She looks up to find, _of course_ , Korra Waters spread-eagled and dazed across from her. “Sorry,” Asami mumbles out.

She gropes around for her glasses and slides them on her face and rushes to grab her lunchbox before Korra can. Unfortunately Korra’s eyes zero in on her book and she grabs it.

“What’s this?” Korra asks as they both get to their feet.

“Nothing.” Asami reaches for her book but Korra swipes it out of reach.

She flips the pages, her lips quirked up, and Asami can’t help the pulse of excitement in her chest at the thought that Korra might actually be interested in what she’s reading. “You like cars, huh?”

“Yeah. I…” She rocks back and forth on the balls of her feet. “I want to be an engineer when I grow up.”

“Oh really?” Korra raises an eyebrow.

Asami nods fervently. “Do you, um—” She swallows hard, trying to calm her racing heart. “Do you like cars?”

Korra smiles and it’s crooked and small and lovely and makes Asami forget she’s the incarnation of evil. “Yeah.” She looks Asami up and down, and Asami tries her best not to run and hide. “I think you’ll be a great engineer someday.”

Asami’s lips spread into a small smile. “You think so?” she asks quietly.

“Yeah.” Korra’s smile softens. “I mean, the only thing a nonnie like you will ever be good at is work with your hands.”

Korra tosses her book carelessly to the floor and kicks it a bit before marching off.

Asami closes her eyes, takes a deep shuddery breath, and wills the tears away.

She doesn’t meet Opal for lunch. Her appetite is sapped.

* * *

It’s fish Friday at the Sato residence. Asami sits at the kitchen table, watching her mom sizzle catfish in the frying pan. Her father enters the kitchen, grease streaking his cheeks and overalls, and Asami leaps up from her seat and runs into his arms, uncaring about the soot.

He laughs, picks her up easily and kisses her wetly on the cheek, and she squeals until he puts her back down. He moves over to her mother next and kisses her on the lips, and Asami scrunches up her face and pretends to be repulsed. He leaves the room, showers and changes, and the three of them sit down and have dinner together at the wobbly kitchen table like most nights.

“How was school today, green bean?” her father asks.

Asami pauses in her chewing, swallows hard. “Good.”

Her parents give each other That Look and Asami sighs, knowing this is going to be a long night. “Would you still like to take lessons with Tenzin?”

Asami drops her fork and it clinks against her plate. She’s been wanting to take martial arts lessons for a long time now, but they’ve always been too expensive. “That would be amazing!” she says, smiling ear-to-ear. Then she remembers the cost and her heart plummets as she hesitantly asks, “Aren’t they expensive?”

“Well, I got a promotion recently so we can afford it.” Her father says the words slowly and her mother smiles proudly like she knows a big secret and Asami’s heart trips in her chest. “You are now looking at the CEO of Future Industries.”

So _that’s_ the big secret.

“ _Wow_!” Asami scrambles from her seat, climbs into her father’s lap, and hugs him as tightly as her little arms allow. “That’s so cool! Congratulations dad!”

“Thanks, green bean.” He ruffles her hair. “Great things are going to be happening for this family. Great things.”

* * *

Asami knows something is gravely wrong when her dad picks her up from school two weeks later looking solemn in his business suit.

Her mom is usually the one who picks her up.

She’s always told in advance when her dad is going to pick her up.

He drives silently, and Asami’s too scared to ask questions because she’s never seen her dad look like so sad before. It’s a cloudless day and they go to the park down the street. He wordlessly exits the truck and Asami follows him to the lake.

They stand at the edge and watch ducks float across it. Asami picks up a pebble and tosses it and it skims the surface of the water before plunking in.

“Where’s mom?” she finally asks.

Her dad kneels down to her level and his eyes are red and puffy and his hair is askew. He explains what happened in broken sentences and all that Asami can understand is that her mom is gone because a bender mugged her.

_Her mom is gone._

It feels like a nightmare.

She can’t breathe, can’t speak— _can’t think_. She crumbles into her father’s waiting arms and cries until there are no tears left.

* * *

“Hey.”

It’s her first day back to school in three days and Korra already wants to start something. Asami slams her locker shut and spins around. “What do you want, Korra?” she asks sharply.

Korra takes a shocked step back and rubs the back of her neck nervously. “I, uh, just wanted to uh—“

“ _Don’t_ ,” Asami snaps and steps into Korra’s personal space so that they’re nose to nose. Her heartbeat is so loud she’s sure Korra can hear it. “Don’t be an asshole, Korra.” Korra’s mouth drops open and Asami belatedly realizes she’s never cussed before. “Not today. I just… I just lost… I just lost my mom and I can’t… I can’t handle this… I can’t…”

She breaks. She breaks and she hates it because she promised herself she would never let Korra see her cry, never let Korra see her weak and vulnerable.

To her utmost surprise, Korra wraps her arms around her and holds her tightly. She tries to push Korra away, but the darned girl won’t budge. “I’m sorry, Asami,” she whispers and it’s probably the first time she’s ever said Asami’s name in a non-venomous way. “I’m so, so sorry.”

And for some reason that makes Asami sob harder.

* * *

 

**Six Years Later—Senior Year**

**February**

It’s been nine months since Korra’s graced Republic High School’s hallways.

Nine months of whispered questions, dramatic rumors, and a tight-lipped Kuvira.

And really, Asami shouldn’t care, but she finds herself wondering the same thing as everybody else: _where is Korra?_

So finally, during lunch, Asami asks as casually as possible while picking at her Caesar salad, “So, um, is Korra at a different school or something?”

Across the table, Opal stops chewing on her chicken wrap and Bolin freezes, sandwich halfway to his mouth. “No,” Opal replies slowly and Asami gets the feeling she knows more than she’s telling. “I don’t think so.”

Bolin’s puts his sandwich down and his eyes dart around the room, studying his surroundings. “Do you watch the news?”

Asami stares at Bolin in confusion. “Yeah," she says flatly.

“You didn’t hear it from me, _but_ …” His lips tighten. “You heard about that girl that went swimming in that lake with the ‘No Swimming’ sign?”

Asami vaguely remembers hearing a story like that. Just before summer break a teenage girl went swimming in Fire Lake—a lake in the Southside of Republic City. The news wouldn’t release the girl’s name and eventually she melted into the past just like the rest of the news stories. However, Fire Lake was officially shut down after the incident. “Fire Lake, right? Teenager lost her bending, can no longer walk.” Bolin nods and Asami says, “Okay, yeah, I remember that. What about her?”

He glances around the room one more time and lowers his voice “That girl was Korra.”

It takes a minute for the words to register.

“W-what?” Asami splutters, wide-eyed with disbelief.

Bolin swallows hard, looks two seconds away from crying. “The girl that lost her bending, can no longer walk, that girl is Korra.”

“ _No_ , _no_ ,” Asami whispers, stunned. She slumps forward and rubs her temples in an attempt to ward off a migraine. “ _Impossible_.”

But it’s not. Korra’s human just like the rest of them.

A tear rolls down Opal’s cheek and she wipes it away quickly. “Her parents wanted to keep her name out of the news.”

Asami frowns, feels a sickening knot twist in her stomach. She opens her mouth, but no words come out.

Bolin breaks the silence. “We visit her every Tuesday. She doesn’t talk much but she asks about you a lot.”

Asami’s head whips up. “She does?”

“Yeah, she does,” Opal confirms. “In fact, I’m sure she’d love to see you. Wanna come with us tomorrow?”

Asami hesitates. It’s not like her and Korra have ever been friends, but maybe now they can fully bury the hatchet and move forward. “I’d love to.”

* * *

It’s seven in the evening when they make it over to Korra’s cozy one-story home.

Bolin knocks on the door and Mrs. Waters, Korra’s mom, answers it. There are dark circles under her blue eyes and she’s dressed in loungewear and her hair is in a disheveled ponytail, but she grins and all of that stress evaporates from her face. “Bolin, Opal, so nice to see you both.” Her eyes flash to Asami. “Who’s this?”

“Asami Sato.” Asami swallows down her nerves and puts her hand out. Mrs. Waters shakes it. “I go to school with your daughter. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Waters.”

“Nice to meet you, Asami.” Mrs. Waters’s eyes sparkle with delight. “I’ll let Korra know you guys are here. Be right back.”

Minutes later Mrs. Waters returns, looking apologetic and slightly embarrassed. “I’m sorry but—” She pauses. “Korra just finished physical therapy and she’s not up to visitors today.”

Bolin frowns and says, “I thought she had physical therapy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?” and Mrs. Waters’s eyes widen at being caught in a lie.

Opal rushes to smooth things over. “Please let her know we love her and miss her.”

Mrs. Waters sighs, relieved. “I will.” She looks at Asami. “It was nice meeting you Asami. Now I can finally put a face to the name my daughter won’t stop talking about.”

Asami smiles, not really knowing what to say. She’s still trying to wrap her head around the idea that Korra talks positively about her. “It was nice meeting you, too, Mrs. Waters.”

* * *

It started out a typical Monday morning.

Students drudge through the hallways while Asami stands at her locker, digging for her Physics textbook.

And then Korra rolls through the hallway in a wheelchair and shoulder-length hair and students gasp and part like the red sea.

It’s an odd sight to behold—someone as strong Korra reduced to a wheelchair—and nobody really knows what to say or do. Korra turns them all away with her scowl and Asami knows Monday’s are never going to be the same again.

* * *

During lunch, a lunch lady helps Korra get her food. Korra rolls to the end of a rectangular lunch table and sits to herself.

Kuvira, Opal, and Bolin try to join her but she shrugs them off.

* * *

Dinners are usually a quiet affair at the Sato mansion, but this time Asami’s itching to talk.

“Korra’s back,” Asami says as soon as her dad swallows down the chicken in his mouth.

Her dad looks up and wipes his mouth with his napkin. “Korra Waters?” Asami nods. “That’s the girl that used to bully you, right?”

“Yeah, but – dad. She went swimming in a bacteria filled lake and… and now she can’t bend or walk or…” Asami sighs, blinks rapidly. “She’s a mess and I just want to fix things. Make her feel better.”

“Why?” Her father asks. His eyes are cold, hard, nothing like the warm eyes Asami used to look up to.  “What makes her so special? Life isn’t fair, Asami. Now she’s just one less menace we have to worry about.”

Asami wants to scream.

She cannot believe the words coming out of her father’s mouth.

“How could you say something like that?” She breathes shakily and stands up, appalled. “How do you think mom would feel hearing you say something like that?”

Her dad flinches like he’s been slapped and his eyes fall to his plate.

“Not all benders are bad people, dad,” she says softly, remembering what her mother told her years ago. “Your character, who you are on the inside, is what defines you. Not your abilities.”

She walks around the table, tears streaming down her face, and kisses her dad on the top of his head, and mumbles into his gray hair, “Goodnight dad.”

* * *

“Hi.”

Korra looks up from her grapes and her eyes widen. “Asami,” she breathes. “Hey.”

Asami takes a tentative step closer to where Korra’s sitting in the cafeteria. “Mind if I sit here?” she asks, gesturing to the empty seat near Korra.

Korra pauses, but only barely. “No, go ahead,” she says quietly.

Asami bites the corner of her lip and tries to mask the surprise on her face. She sits down and places her tray on the table. They eat lunch in relative silence, but Asami swears she can see a small smile curving Korra’s lips.

* * *

Every day after that Asami eats lunch with Korra. It becomes a tradition to the point where Asami stops asking Korra if she can sit down.

“Why don’t you hate me?” Korra asks one day.

Asami stops eating. “What?”

Korra looks exhausted. She exhales sharply. “I – I made your life miserable for years. I treated you horribly. Some days I can’t even look at myself in the mirror and yet, here you are. Eating lunch with me, dropping by my house, taking me to class. Why?”

“Because you’re a human being Korra. And yeah, you were a jerk, but we all make mistakes. What defines us is how we overcome those mistakes and obstacles.”

Korra stares at her for several seconds, and she flushes and looks away. “Thank you, Asami.”

“For what?”

“Giving me a second chance.”

* * *

Korra’s nervous.

Asami picks up on immediately upon sitting down.

Her hands are shaking and she’s looking anywhere but at Asami.

“Okay, what’s wrong,” Asami demands.

Korra doesn’t say anything.

She slides Asami a piece of paper and a pencil. Asami frowns, glances at Korra, the poor girl looks like a tomato, and then back down at the piece of paper. She unfolds it.

_Will you go to prom with me?_

_Yes                                    No                                       Hell no                                                   Maybe_

Asami’s hand flies up to her mouth and she stares at Korra. “Yes,” she says, letting out a watery laugh.

Korra looks up, shocked but hopeful. “Yes?”

Asami leans across the table and kisses her cheek and Korra turns 50 shades redder. “ _Yes_.”

* * *

**  
Graduation Day**

Graduation is a long, boring, nerve-wracking process. With a graduating class of 300 students, the ceremony takes nearly 3 hours and to make it worse, administration saves the speeches for the end. Asami takes a deep shaky breath as she stands onstage and grabs the mic.

“Hey guys, we made it!” Several students cheer but the lights are too fierce and blinding for Asami to make out their faces. “Many of you know me as Asami Sato, valedictorian and future engineer major, but today I don’t want you to think about that, because before I was Asami Sato, I was a little girl that used to cry herself to sleep because she couldn’t bend. There were times when I… when I thought I was worthless. During those times my mother used to say to me, ‘ _You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’_ Our circumstances don’t define us, society’s stereotypes don’t define us. Our character defines us. So climb out of the box society may try to place you in and always remember, ‘ _You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think,’_ and I would like to thank my friend Korra for also helping me to see that. I love you, Korra. I love you mom. Thank you.”

The crowd erupts in applause and Asami wipes away some stray tears that have slipped down her cheeks.

* * *

The ceremony ends and Asami’s shuffles her way through the crowd, exchanging pleasantries and hugs and well-wishes. As soon as she spots Korra in her matching cap and gown, she lunges for her, nearly causing her chair to tilt back.

“Hey, you,” Korra mumbles into hair.

Asami shivers. “Hey, Korra.”

“That was a wonderful speech.”

“You liked it?”

“I _loved_ it.”

“Asami?”

Asami pulls back at the familiar voice and turns to see her father standing there, a beautiful bouquet in his hand. “Dad,” she breathes. “You came.”

He smiles and offers a small wave, his eyes red rimmed. “Congratulations.”

Asami runs to him and wraps her arms tightly around him.

“Your mother would be so proud, green bean,” he whispers into her ear.

Asami pulls back with a watery smile on her face and her dad clears his throat and looks at Korra. “Korra, these are for you,” he says softly, handing her the bouquet.

Korra’s eyes widen but she appreciatively accepts the flowers. “Thank you, Mr. Sato.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

He steps back to give them some privacy. Asami turns to Korra and looks at her adoringly. She kneels down, wraps her arms around her neck. “I love you,” she says before pressing her lips softly against Korra’s.

Korra smiles. “I love you, too.”


End file.
